Damus
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Lyn Alden
@LynAlden
What are your favorite examples of antagonists that change and grow throughout a story but generally remain antagonists?

Eg they are not “protagonist villains” like Walter White, and they are not “redeemed villains” because at least in some ways, they fail to redeem or their growth arc, while present, is stunted.

Usually an antagonist is static, while a protagonist grows to defeat them. But in some fiction, the antagonist grows and changes and yet still is an antagonist.

Jamie Lannister is an interesting example. He starts off by callously pushing a child out a window. And he goes to war against the protagonists of House Stark.

But then he gets humbled, has his perspective changed, fixes some of his weaknesses and leans more on his strengths, becomes likeable by the audience, finds himself pairing up with the protagonists more, etc. So he goes through a growth arc.

But then at the end, he still chooses his original side. More mature, but still ultimately bound by his same weaknesses. An interesting arc to watch, and one that probably would have been more interesting if the last season wasn’t rushed and bad.

Any other good examples? Maybe ones that remain more villainous than Jaime?
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Nic · 71w
Two-Face has had a hero to villain, to hero, to villain arc. Unfortunately it has been too long for me to remember when that was.
david · 71w
Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) in Furiosa. Definitely the antagonist the whole way through. Idk if you’d categorize it as growth, but there is a scene towards the end of the movie that reveals choices / aspects of his character and his motivations that were surprising and made him much more interestin...
corndalorian · 71w
Agent Smith
wolfpy · 71w
I am not sure what this is what you are looking for but when I was young I enjoyed This trilogy. Where the protagonist is kind of bad but it has been some years
wolfpy · 71w
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartimaeus_Sequence
Hamlin · 71w
Top of my head.. Lago Trash can man. Harry August
Technician · 71w
Oscar the Grouch. Always learning important life lessons. Still always the grouch.
wolfpy · 71w
In terms of complex character I always loved Joe Abercrombie
wolfpy · 71w
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Law
Johan · 71w
I wish more stories did redemption arch's that fail. I hoped that Kilo Ren would have been one of those but then JJ came back and made a turd.
MrTea · 71w
Marlo Stanfield from The Wire comes to mind. He grew to understand the business and politics of the co-op but ultimately abandoned it for his addiction to the street life. He had every opportunity to reject that life but his morals never changed even if other aspects of his life did.
jimmysong · 71w
The emperor in Gladiator. He gets more and more consumed by power and glory as the movie goes on.
THEDAILYEAGLE · 71w
T bag in prison break
Paul · 71w
Just finished The Stand by King. Harold Lauder is a good example of this.
Adrian M Lopez · 71w
Dedra from Andor is pretty compelling
Jimbo Galtomoto · 71w
Hannibal Lecter
nostrich · 71w
J E Hoover as written by James Ellroy. It's hard to find a character in a James Ellroy novel that does not fit this profile. His J Edgar Hoover, though, was wild.
light a walrus · 71w
Bernard from “brave new world.” He’s his own downfall.
¡M0053! · 71w
Al Swerengen in HBOs Deadwood. Maybe "Heizenberg" in Bresking Bad (he kinda fits? Maybe more Antihero?
btcttombola · 71w
Spike
Zen<3lofi · 71w
hmm so are ‘villains’ in stories villains because they persist in their weaknesses?
FF · 71w
Darth Vader. Also, could be argued that Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca could be protagonist or antagonist.
Hoshi · 71w
Louis (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
₿oniz23⚡️🏴‍☠️🇮🇹 · 71w
Gollum is a brilliant example of a tragic antagonist. He evolves constantly torn between his darker side (Gollum) and what’s left of his former self (Sméagol). He shows glimpses of loyalty and vulnerability, especially with Frodo, but his obsession with the Ring always pulls him back. In the end,...
nostrich · 71w
Maybe the Hound, in the same series. He is an antagonist at the beginning, "working for" the Lannister family. But after, he becomes an absolutely outsider, independant from the Lannister's, and still in love with Sansa. By the years, he knows Arya (Sansa's antagonist, if you think about it), figh...
nostrich · 71w
Russell Crowe as Ben Wade in 3:10 to Yuma
nostrich · 71w
Hans Grueber…. Not quite who you thought he was at the start of the film